The Benji Project was founded in 2017 in response to the suicide of a cherished Port Townsend teenager.

Vision

Young people thrive navigating life's ups and downs with resilience.

Mission

We teach proven mindfulness and self-compassion tools to young people and their families and communities. Through classes, workshops and camps, we build capacity for stress management and emotional resilience.

Values

  • We honor the common humanity of mental and emotional struggle, while recognizing that each person’s life experience is unique.

  • We believe that mental health is integral to individual and community well-being.

  • We dedicate ourselves to fostering a sense of belonging among all youth in our community, especially those whose voices are less often heard.

  • We use evidence-based programs and innovative approaches to respond to the needs of our community. 

  • We seek to embody mindfulness and compassion in our interactions with ourselves and those we serve.

Background

Benji Project programming serves youth ages 9 to 19 and their families in Jefferson and Clallam Counties on the Olympic Peninsula. We serve all teens regardless of means, and approximately 85 percent of our participants in after-school and camp programming receive full or partial scholarships.

In 2026:

  • We offer our first camp in partnership with Northwest Maritime,  Mindfulness on Land and Sea, incorporating time on a Longboat. We host campers and families volunteering for the Canoe Journey Landing. 

  • We hire instructors based in Clallam County and begin offering programming in Sequim and Port Angeles.

In 2023:

  • We become our own independent non-profit organization and hire Heather McRae-Woolf as our first Executive Director.

In 2022:

  • We move into an office space at 280 Quincy St. in downtown Port Townsend. 

  • In partnership with Olympic Pride, we offer our first LGBTQ+camp.

In 2019:

  • In-school programming begins at Port Townsend High School.

In 2018: 

  • We win a grant from the Fund for Women and Girls, allowing us to offer two teacher-training scholarships to build capacity with locally trained instructors.

In 2017: 

  • We gain non-profit status through fiscal sponsorship from StrongerTowns and offer our first programs to the community.